Lantana plant named ‘Robmornvan’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Lantana plant named ‘Robmornvan’, characterized by its outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit; freely branching habit, dense and bushy appearance; freely flowering habit; and flowers that are initially light yellow, then becoming creamy white with golden yellow-colored throats.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Lantana camara cultivarRobmornvan.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lantanaplant, botanically known as Lantana camara, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name Robmornvan.

The new Lantana is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Grain Valley, Mo. The objective of the breeding programis to create mounded and moderately vigorous Lantanas that are freelyflowering.

The new Lantana originated from a self-pollination made by the Inventorin 1998 of an unnamed proprietary Lantana seedling, not patented. Thenew Lantana was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny ofthe self-pollination by the Inventor in a controlled environment in 1999in Grain Valley, Mo.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in GrainValley, Mo. since 1999, has shown that the unique features of this newLantana are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Robmornvan have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment and culture such as temperature, lightintensity and daylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Robmornvan’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Robmornvan’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit, dense and bushy appearance.

3. Freely flowering habit.

4. Flowers that are initially light yellow in color, then becomingcreamy white with golden yellow-colored throats.

Plants of the new Lantana can be compared to plants of the parentselection. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Grain Valley, Mo.,plants of the new Lantana differed from plants of the parent selectionin the following characteristics:

1. Cuttings of plants of the new Lantana rooted faster than cuttings ofplants of the parent selection.

2. Plants of the new Lantana grew more vigorously than plants of theparent selection.

3. Plants of the new Lantana had a higher flower to leaf ratio thanplants of the parent selection.

4. Flowers of plants of the parent selection were whiter in color thanflowers of plants of the new Lantana.

Plants of the new Lantana can be compared to plants of the cultivarRobpatdov, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,882. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Grain Valley, Mo., plants of the new Lantanadiffered from plants of the cultivar Robpatdov in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Lantana were more mounded than plants of thecultivar Robpatdov.

2. Plants of the new Lantana had larger and darker green-colored leavesthan plants of the cultivar Robpatdov.

3. Flowers of plants of the cultivar Robpatdov were whiter in color thanflowers of plants of the new Lantana.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Lantana. The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a sideperspective view of a typical plant of ‘Robmornvan’ in a container. Thephotograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical leaves and inflorescences of ‘Robmornvan’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used for the aforementioned photographs and followingobservations and measurements were grown for about 19 weeks in 15.25-cmcontainers and were pinched twice. Plants were grown in apolycarbonate-covered greenhouse in Lompoc, Calif. during the spring andsummer with day temperatures ranging from 21 to 27° C., nighttemperatures ranging from 16 to 18° C., and light levels ranging from5,000 to 9,000 foot-candles. In the following description, colorreferences are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart,1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

Botanical classification: Lantana camara cultivar Robmornvan.

Parentage: Self-pollination of an unnamed proprietary Lantana camaraseedling, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.

Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 10 days at 27° C.

Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 13 days at 27° C.

Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 37 days at 29° C.

Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 44 days at 24° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous; initially glaucous white becomingcloser to 161D with development.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Form.—Flowering subshrub; initially upright, then outwardly spreadingand mounding. Freely branching; two lateral branches potentially formingat every node; pinching enhances lateral branch development; dense andbushy growth habit.

Plant height.—About 22 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 58 to 72 cm.

Vigor.—Vigorous growth habit.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 44 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Internodelength: About 4.5 cm. Aspect: Initially upright, then outwardly bendingto about 90° from vertical. Strength: Flexible, but strong. Texture:Sparsely pubescent. Color, immature: 144A. Color, mature: 165A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite, simple. Length: About 8 cm.Width: About 4.8 cm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Acute.Margin: Serrate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Coarse, rough,leathery; slightly pubescent. Venation pattern: Pinnate, arcuate.Fragrance: Pungent, spicy, herb-like. Color: Developing and fullyexpanded foliage, upper surface: 147A. Developing and fully expandedfoliage, lower surface: 147B. Venation, upper surface: 146C. Venation,lower surface: 147D. Petiole length: About 2 cm. Petiole diameter: About2 mm. Petiole color: 146A.

Flower description:

Flower type and arrangement.—Small solitary salverform flowers arrangedin axillary umbels; flowers face mostly upward or outward. Umbelsorientated about 45° from vertical.

Quantity of flowers.—Freely flowering with potentially twoinflorescences developing per node. Typically about four openinflorescences per lateral branch in flower at one time with about 40flowers per umbel.

Natural flowering season.—Spring until frost in the autumn; floweringcontinuous during this period.

Flower longevity on the plant.—About seven days. Flowers not persistent.

Fragrance.—Faint, fruity.

Inflorescence diameter.—About 4 cm.

Inflorescence height.—About 2 cm.

Flowers.—Appearance: Flared trumpet, corolla fused, four-parted; flowersroughly rectangular in shape. Diameter: About 1 cm. Corolla tube length:About 1.7 cm. Corolla tube diameter, at base: About 1.5 mm.

Flower buds (showing color).—Length: About 8 mm. Diameter: Apex: About 2mm. Base: About 1 mm. Shape: Elongate, oblong. Color: 12D.

Corolla.—Arrangement: Single whorl of four petals, fused into flaredtrumpet. Petal length from throat: About 5 mm. Petal width: About 4.5mm. Petal shape: Ovoid, irregular. Petal apex: Rounded. Petal margin:Entire. Petal texture: Smooth, velvety. Color: Petal, upper surface,when opening: 4C; towards the throat, 23A. Petal, lower surface, whenopening: 4D. Petal, upper surface, fully opened: Towards the margins,155B; mid-section, 12A; towards the throat, 17A. Petal, lower surface,fully opened: 155B. Throat: 12C. Tube: 155B.

Calyx.—Arrangement: One single calyx tube per flower. Calyx length:About 4 mm. Calyx width: About 2 mm. Apex: Rounded to broadly acute.Texture: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 144C.

Peduncles.—Length: About 6.1 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Angle: About45° from the stem. Strength: Flexible, but strong. Color: 146A.

Pedicels.—Length: Less than 1 mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Color: Closeto 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: Four per flower,adnate to floral tube. Anther shape: Ovoid. Anther length: Less than 1mm. Anther color: 13A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 13A.

Pistils.—Quantity: One per flower. Pistil length: About 6 mm. Stigmashape: Bi-lobed. Stigma color: 145A. Style color: About 3.5 mm. Stylecolor: 145C. Ovary color: 145A.

Fruit/seed.—Fruit and seed production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Lantana have not been notedto be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Lantana under commercialgreenhouse conditions.

Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Lantana have been observed to betolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from 0 to 38° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Lantana plant named‘Robmornvan’, as illustrated and described.